U.S. Soccer Wire: Women's National Team Prepares to Face Ireland

NewsJun 9, 2003

HEINRICHS NAMES 23-PLAYER ROSTER FOR FIRST GAME IN UTAH LIVE ON ESPN2: U.S. Women’s National Team head coach April Heinrichs has named the 23-woman roster that will train for four days before facing Ireland in an important Women’s World Cup warm-up match at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, on June 14, 2003. The match, which is the second part of a doubleheader with the Utah Blitzz of the USL’s Pro Select League, will kickoff at 7 p.m. MT (9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT) and will be televised live on ESPN2. Following the game against Ireland, the U.S. Women will have one more match before Heinrichs picks her 2003 Women’s World Cup Team, facing Brazil in New Orleans, La., on July 13 (3 p.m. CT / 4 p.m. ET on ESPN). Of the 23 players on the roster, 20 are playing in the WUSA, with two players still in college at the University of North Carolina – senior Cat Reddick and sophomore Lindsay Tarpley – and 18-year-old Heather O’Reilly the lone high school player. Tickets ranging in price levels from $16 to $37 are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 801-325-SEAT (7328), at all Ticketmaster outlets (including Fred Meyer and Graywhale CD Exchange) and at the Rice-Eccles Stadium Box Office, which is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. U.S. WNT RosterGoalkeepers (3): LaKeysia Beene, Jaime Pagliarulo, Briana Scurry; Defenders (8): Thori Bryan, Kylie Bivens, Brandi Chastain, Joy Fawcett, Christie Pearce, Cat Reddick, Danielle Slaton, Kate Sobrero; Midfielders (7): Lorrie Fair, Julie Foudy, Angela Hucles, Kristine Lilly, Tiffany Roberts, Lindsay Tarpley, Aly Wagner; Forwards (5): Mia Hamm, Tiffeny Milbrett, Heather O’Reilly, Cindy Parlow, Abby Wambach.

KLEIN, KIROVSKI SCORE; LEWIS DISHES OUT TWO ASSISTS IN FINAL FRANCE TUNE-UP: In their final tune-up before the prestigious 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup, the U.S. Men's National Team defeated New Zealand 2-1 yesterday in front of 9,116 fans at the University of Richmond Stadium. Coming off Chevrolet Man of the Match honors in the USA’s 2-0 win against Wales on May 26 in San Jose, Eddie Lewis provided both assists to lead the U.S. to victory. Midfielder Chris Klein scored his team-leading third goal of the year in the 20th minute after dribbling around the keeper and cutting a shot at a difficult angle into an open net. The visitors equalized minutes later in the 23rd on a goal from New Zealand leading scorer Vaughan Coveny. Forward Jovan Kirovski scored the game winner in the 65th minute, marking his second goal in his last three appearances, to earn Chevrolet Man of the Match honors. U.S. goalkeeper Joe Cannon and defender Cory Gibbs came on as second-half substitutes to earn their first caps, while starting goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann made his first appearance for the MNT since 1994.

U.S. SOCCER’S NATIONAL TRAINING CENTER OPENS AS PART OF GALA L.A. WEEKEND: U.S. Soccer’s National Training Center at The Home Depot Center opened last week as the first of U.S. Soccer’s national teams arrived in Carson, Calif., to begin training. The U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team, fresh off a second place finish at the Busan International Youth Tournament in Korea, took to the fields for a single practice session on Friday (June 6) as the first team to use the facility. In all, five U.S. youth national teams will train at the facility during the month of June. Friday’s U-17 practice was a part of a weekend of events surrounding the Los Angeles Galaxy’s inaugural game in their new 27,000-seat soccer specific stadium. Located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills, the National Training Center includes four grass soccer fields, a FieldTurf soccer field and a general training area, all specifically dedicated to U.S. Soccer. The complex also includes three additional practice fields for the Galaxy and the college, as well as all the necessary team support facilities, including locker rooms, player lounges, training rooms, a weight room and office space for support staff.

TWO USASA, PDL TEAMS ADVANCE TO SECOND ROUND OF 2003 U.S. OPEN CUP: With a 4-1 win over D.S United (USASA) on Saturday, Raleigh CASL Elite (PDL) became the final of four teams to advance to the Second Round of the 2003 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup last week. The Bridgeport Italians (USASA) and the Fresno Fuego (PDL) each picked up wins as the 2003 Cup got underway on June 4. Bridgeport topped the Chesapeake Dragons (PDL) 1-0, as did Fresno over the Chico Rooks. On June 5, The Milwaukee Bavarians became the second USASA team to advance with a 2-1 overtime win over the Des Moines Menace (PDL), with the game winner coming in the 111th minute. The four first round winners will join two PDL teams who received first-round byes and face six Pro Select League teams, with all second round action to begin on June 25. For updated tournament results and information, check out the Open Cup section of ussoccer.com.First Round# Date Result1 June 4 Bridgeport Italians (USASA) 1, Chesapeake Dragons (PDL) 0 2 June 7 Raleigh CASL Elite (PDL) 4, D.S. United (USASA) 1 3 June 5 Milwaukee Bavarians (USASA) 2, Des Moines Menace (PDL) 1 4 June 4 Fresno Fuego (PDL) 1, Chico Rooks (PDL) 0 Bye: Bradenton AcademicsBye: Mid-Michigan Bucks

ASIAN QUALIFYING BEGINS THIS WEEK TO DETERMINE FINAL 2.5 WWC BERTHS: The 14th AFC Women's Championship, which doubles as Asia's Women's World Cup qualifying tournament, kicked off yesterday in Thailand with six matches. Two berths are at stake, with the third-place team to face Mexico in a home-and-home playoff for the final berth in this fall's 16-nation world championship. China retains the automatic World Cup berth received as the tournament's original host. North Korea won the 2001 title, ending a Chinese run of seven successive titles, then captured the Asian Games championship last fall. The tournament opened with Thailand and Korea both earning shutout victories in Group A. Japan ripped Philippines 15-0 to open Group B play, while Chinese Taipei slipped by Guam 2-1. In Group C, China and India both picked up 6-0 wins, at the expense of Vietnam and Uzbekistan, respectively. The group winners and best second-place team advance to the June 19 semifinals, with the final and third-place game slated two days later. 2003 WWC FinalistsAFC (2.5): Qualifying competition to be held 10-22 June in Thailand CAF (2): Ghana, Nigeria CONCACAF (2.5): Canada, Mexico (play off with 3rd AFC), USA CONMEBOL (2): Argentina, Brazil OFC (1): Australia UEFA (5): Germany, France, Norway, Russia, Sweden Original Host (1): China

FANS REGISTERED AT ussoccerfan.com WILL GET FIRST ACCESS TO TICKETS: Registered members of ussoccerfan.com, the official site of U.S. soccer fans, will have the first opportunity to purchase tickets to the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup. To register, fans need to simply sign up on the Web site to receive updates as details are announced and the venues and schedules begin to take shape.

U.S. SOCCER SEEKS VOLUNTEERS FOR 2003 WWC: The U.S. Soccer Federation is seeking volunteers to assist with all areas of the 2003 Women’s World Cup which will be played this fall. Interested parties can e-mail wwcvolunteers@ussoccer.org to express interest in volunteering and should include a brief resume with relevant experience. Once venues and times are determined, U.S. Soccer’s Human Resource Department will be in touch with selected volunteers.

-- U.S. YOUTH NATIONAL TEAM UPDATE --

U-18 MEN TAKE FIFTH PLACE IN CROIX INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT IN FRANCE: The Under-18 Men’s National Team posted an undefeated 4-0-2 record in France last week, including fifth place in the Croix International Tournament this weekend. The U-18s took second place in their group after playing to two 1-1 ties against RE Mouscron and Villareal CF. Mike Videira scored the lone goal against RE Mouscron, while Danny Vasquez scored against Villareal CF. In the team's two placement matches today (June 9), they beat Melno (of Sweden) 3-0, getting two goals from Nate Norman and one from Vasquez and then defeated JEF United 1-0 on a goal from Sergio Flores. Before the tourney, the U.S. toppled RC Lens 2-1 on early goals from Vasquez and Karbassiyoon and shut out Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 on second-half goals from Barrett and Alvarez (2).U.S. Under-18 MNT ResultsDate Opponent Result U.S. Goal ScorersJune 3 Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 W Barrett, Alvarez (2)June 5 RC Lens 2-1 W Vasquez, KarbassiyoonJune 7 RE Mouscron 1-1 T VideiraJune 8 Villareal CF 1-1 T VasquezJune 9 Melno 3-0 W Vasquez, Norman (2)June 9 JEF United 1-0 W Flores

UNDER-17 MEN POUND POLAND 5-0, FINISH SECOND IN BUSAN INT’L TOURNAMENT: Forwards Freddy Adu and Jamie Watson each notched two goals in the second half as the U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team overpowered Poland 5-0 in their final match of the Busan International Youth Tournament last week at Busan Asiad Main Stadium. With the win, the U.S. finished in second place, behind tournament champions Argentina.The U.S. finished the tournament with a record of 1-1-1 for a total of four points. The offensive outburst against Poland catapulted the U.S. into second place by giving them a better goal differential (+2) than South Korea (+1), lost to Argentina in the last match of the tournament 2-0. The U.S. Under-17 Men’s National Team fell to host South Korea 3-0 in its first game on May 31, but nabbed one point when it drew with Argentina 2-2 on goals from Corey Ashe and Guillermo Gonzalez on June 2.U.S. Under-17 MNT ResultsDate Opponent Result U.S. Goal ScorersMay 31 South Korea 0-3 L ---June 2 Argentina 2-2 T Ashe, GonzalezJune 4 Poland 5-0 W Curfman, Adu (2), Watson (2)

FIELD SET FOR U-17 FIFA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, DRAW TO BE HELD WEDNESDAY: Nigeria, Cameroon and Sierra Leone became the final three teams to qualify for the Under-17 FIFA World Championship, which will be held from August 13-30 in Finland. With all 16 teams now qualified for the tournament, the draw will be held this Wednesday (June 11) in Finland. Cameroon defeated Sierra Leone 1-0 in the championship game of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) final round of qualifying yesterday, while Nigeria advanced after beating Egypt a day earlier 3-1 in the third place match. The U.S. advanced to World Championship after taking first in Group A of the CONCACAF final round of qualifying.2003 FIFA World Youth (U-17) Championship FinalistsAFC (3): China, Korea Republic, YemenCAF (3): Cameroon, Sierra Leone, NigeriaCONCACAF (3): Costa Rica, Mexico, USACONMEBOL (3): Argentina, Brazil, ColombiaOFC (1): AustraliaUEFA (2): Portugal, SpainHost (1): Finland

U.S. WORLD CUP VETERANS HONORED AT U.S. SOCCER STAR PLAZA AT HDC: Twenty U.S. Soccer World Cup veterans on both the men’s and women’s side were honored during the events celebrating the opening of The Home Depot Center this weekend on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills, in Carson, Calif. The U.S. Soccer Star Plaza, which is currently under construction at The Home Depot Center, will honor every retired player with multiple World Cup or Women’s World Cup roster selections under their belt, as well as the retired members of the two U.S. FIFA Women’s World Cup champions. The Star Plaza is a walk way leading into the widely-praised new soccer stadium, which will forever immortalize the great names in U.S. Soccer history. Each of the players received a crystal star with their name and years of World Cup service at The Home Depot Center’s impressive gala opening, and earned a thunderous ovation from the 1,000 people in attendance. U.S. Women’s National Team head coach April Heinrichs, the captain of the inaugural Women’s World Cup champs in 1991, and three-time Women’s World Cup veteran Michelle Akers headlined a group of 12 women being honored. For the men, a group of eight retired players were recognized for their inclusion in multiple World Cup rosters, including three-time World Cup veterans Marcelo Balboa, Tab Ramos and Eric Wynalda. To be honored, a player must have either been a member for multiple World Cup rosters or a World Cup Champion. The players must also be retired from international competition. Players will continue to be added to Star Plaza as they become eligible.

-- U.S. SOCCER SPOTLIGHT --

PEAK PERFORMER: U.S. Men’s National Team midfielder Eddie Lewis has taken over play-making duties of late, notching assists on three of the team’s four goals in two friendly wins across the last three weeks. In the 2-0 win over Wales in San Jose on May 26, he did all the work on a trademark run down the left flank before dropping the ball off to Greg Vanney for a 59th minute strike. In yesterday’s pre-Confederations Cup tune-up with New Zealand, Lewis provided the final pass for goals from Chris Klein and Jovan Kirovski in the 20th and 65th minutes, respectively, to help guide the U.S. to a 2-1 victory.

MARQUE MATCH-UP: Now that we know that the Women’s World Cup is coming to the U.S. instead of China, the whole dynamic of the tournament has shifted. That said, it doesn’t necessarily affect the way that the U.S. Women’s National Team will prepare, despite the increase in the level of pressure to perform from the venue switch. The next step in preparing for the fall comes this Saturday (June 14) when the U.S. plays host to Ireland at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. The match, which will kickoff at 7 p.m. MT and be shown live on ESPN2, marks the team’s first match in Utah and its first on artificial turf.

SOCCER SHOCKER: It was the weekend of the underdog across the WUSA, as all four favored teams fell to teams that were below them in the standings. In fact, the league’s bottom three teams all won to narrow the gap. The cellar-dwelling Philadelphia Charge, who entered the weekend with a lowly 1-5-1 record, knocked off the Atlanta Beat. Meanwhile, the Carolina Courage and New York Power both knocked off middle-of-the-pack teams with wins over the San Diego Spirit and San Jose CyberRays, respectively. Finally, the third-place Boston Breakers leapfrogged into first place with a win over the Washington Freedom.

QUOTABLE: "I think any team in the world would take our record if they had this (stadium) waiting for them. It's the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow."-- L.A. head coach Sigi Schmid, before the Galaxy earned their first victory of 2003 with a 2-0 win over Colorado in the debut of the Home Depot Center. L.A. started the season 0-4-4 while playing its first eight games on the road waiting for the HDC to be completed.